Santa Teresa
Rio has many facets: rich, poor, jungle, urban and … quaint. Yes! Santa Teresa is one of the more quaint neighbourhoods in Rio, specially due to its small town feel and the fact that it is on a mountain overlooking the rest of the city.

What’s more, it is colonial, so most of the houses still have that century-old charm. A street tour will do the trick: you’ll get a good idea of local history, while riding the tram and checking out the main attractions.

Escadaria Selaron Stairs

The 80 meter Selaron stairs are composed of tiles from all over the world and a true work of art. Over the past 20 years, Selarón, the late Chilean-born artist painted different cartoons on ceramic tiles, the most famous being the pregnant favela women (see page 72).

Catedral

The City Cathedral is another one of Reidy’s works. Although unattractive from the outside, inside it has very powerful lighting and acoustics.